Karma is a Bitch
by KuroKitsuNeko
Summary: Akabane Karma is a certified genius, politician (and an assassin but no one talks about that anymore). So when such a man wakes up in a world when no one respects him? You can bet he's gonna give em Hell. [Skull-is-Karma] (Cross-posted on Ao3!)
1. Chapter 1

Akabane Karma has never been an idiot.

His arrogance may have gotten in the way of his plans once or twice yes, but his IQ was proven time and time again, most recently through feats of strategic marvels as he breezed through the political scene. He'd set up Japan as the world's foremost powerhouse just two years ago for shits and giggles (and national pride, though he would never admit to that on pain of death), allowing America to be a close second thanks to its mysteriously booming movie industry.

Karma had tried crushing the country by borrowing the collective heel of the UN a couple times, but a particularly sharp smile from Nagisa, who shouldn't have been aware of his plans (but who knows with that guy), had stopped him.

The USA's ongoing collaboration with Hawaii in producing 'Sonic Ninja' installments was still going strong, with the fifth movie in the works, and Karma was sure that if he interfered in any way that prevented Nagisa's long awaited sequel, he'd have hell to pay.

In any case, rearranging the world order from the shadows while still coming out on top in his rivalry with Asano Gakushuu (The man had become a teacher like his father, it was _**hilarious**_) was well within his capabilities, proving once and for all, his incredible intellect.

And more than that, he was an Assassin trained by Koro-sensei himself.

So when Karma wakes up wrapped in purple _leather _in a ridiculously gaudy mimicry of an infirmary (gold _gilding? Marble _floors? Not to mention the suspiciously Michelangelo-esque painting on the ceiling. Who were they trying to fool? The _bed _had a 10,000+ thread count!) And chained to the bed, he doesn't react.

When the 'nurse', clad in a doctor's coat yes, but with unkempt hair and a highly unprofessional air about him as he mutters about _'not treating men' _and _'nobody would really give a fuck about him anyway' _and _lights up _a cigarette in this farce of an infirmary over a drawer of gauze and probably contaminating the lot, Karma doesn't react.

When the 'nurse' reaches out for his wrist to inject him with who knows what, Karma doesn't react.

Karma doesn't react to all of it because he is too busy flipping the man over and pinning him to the ground, letting spontaneously appearing **purple **flames take care of the cloud of mosquitoes that waft out.

He doesn't react because he is far to busy slamming the man's face into the ground before he has time to scream, knocking him out and filching every single thing in his pockets.

He doesn't react, because after a moment of hesitation, Karma strips the sorry excuse of a 'nurse' of his coat, shakes off all the bugs and gets the hell out of dodge. Fantastically, the moron had a phone and apparently had no idea who he was dealing with if the unprepared response was any indication. And he still had to explore the issue of the purple fire because who knows how long he's been in here and what they've done to him. For the moment, Karma is banking on human experimentation, which riles him up and coils in molten heat in his stomach. The topic is sensitive to him, to all of them for obvious reasons. Thankfully, it seems that for now his only change is the odd fire and clothing, he hasn't grown like...yellow tentacles or anything, thank Kami.

In any case, he now has a debugged open smartphone and a simple log into a certain hidden site, a password and a quiet call of _'Ritsu' _to the phone gets him the friend he needs.

Karma smirks sardonically even as he shifts every so slightly in discomfort as he witnesses Ritsu's widening eyes at his...dramatic change. Thank Kami for personalized passwords and Ritsu's advanced facial recognition system.

"...Karma?!"

"...Yeah, hello Ritsu."

* * *

Three hours later sees Karma in a small town on the outskirts of Paloermo, trying to piece together what little of his sanity he can. Ritsu is on standby, watching him quietly freak out.

So apparently Karma had been missing quite a bit longer than he'd anticipated. As in less a couple days to, god forbid a couple months to being labelled missing-in-action and then killed-in-action kind of missing. He didn't even know politicians could even been listed as killed-in-action for being missing too long!

Karma paces the length of his awful motel room, he'd get a better one, but there is only so much Ritsu can do for him with a frozen bank account and the cash he has on hand plus, there's only so much she can sneak him from the nearest ATM before someone comes to check it out. In any case, the shitty room had a dinky little shower, enough for him to peel off his piercings and get that gunk off his face. Kami, they had to be fetishists or something for sure, because it took an age and a half to squeeze his way out of that skin tight motor-suit and unlike his hypothesis, the piercings had no bearing on his ability to control the purple fire, meaning...they were purely decorative.

The hair was a whole other matter entirely. The dye hadn't washed out at all, until he'd applied the trio of combination of water, soap and the odd purple fire before blue dye began running out his hair. (Perhaps it may have been a bit reckless trying to set his hair on fire, but if anyone ever asked, he'd say he'd had a very good hunch about it, and completely deny the reality that he'd been frustrated enough that day to contemplate going bald as a substitute. Ritsu also thankfully decided never to tell anyone about this ever, like the wonderfully polite girl she was.)

The blue dye was...interesting to say in the least, the exact shade of Nagisa's hair in fact. Karma's eyes narrowed. A threat perhaps? His kidnappers hadn't seemed to know who he was, if the lack of security and ransoms were anything to go by, but it could be that they were...the final buyers so to speak and that he'd been kidnapped and dressed up by somebody else, middlemen, someone who knew him and those around him well enough to send him such a subtle threat.

Bloodlust flashed across his face, turning his eyes to molten gold, his lips curling into a snarl. Like _**Hell **_ he'd take a threat like that lying down.

There was nothing for it though. For the moment, if he wanted to enact anything, he had to regain his position in society and lose his pursuers. Karma settled a bit and allowed himself to take stock of the situation. What little he did have was more than enough to nab him a couple changes of cheap clothes (and the coat he'd...appropriated, because Karma was petty like that), a sling bag and the tiny little motel room for 5 nights, giving him some room to breathe and plan his next step. He'd do what he needed to. Get in contact with the right people and, loathe though he might be, call for..._assistance _from his old classmates, because separated or not, no one touched one of theirs, **ever** and everyone needed to be made aware of the potential threat brewing right under their noses. And then, only then...the ostentatious infirmary and gilded mansion he escaped from flashes through his mind as his lips curve up in a familiar smirk, tugging at muscles gone long unused to such an expression.

**He'd wreak Hell on the idiots who'd dared take him.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ritsu won't connect him to any of the others and Karma takes back every single nice thing he's ever said about her.

She looks faintly guilty as she does so, well as faintly guilty an emotionally-stunted AI can look, but still refuses to contact any one of them for him. For that matter, she's refused to tell him the date as well, and yes, he knows he had a...reaction at having been gone for years, but knowing exactly how many _**is **_actually pertinent to his problems _**Ritsu.**_

And he can't look them up on his own either, because Ritsu apparently can control _any _electronic device now as she pleases, instead of just what she is connected to, and blocks him every way she can. Which is...worrying to be honest, if he wasn't so sure she was on his side. Those are troubles for someone not in good with a near omnipotent AI, heh, not him, but still. Now he has to do it the old-fashioned way.

Karma pauses in his rifling of the pitiful bits of paper-based information he'd filched from the 'nurse', toying with the thought. It was possible Ritsu was attempting to give him something concrete to hold on to as he regained his bearings... Looking for information, conducting reconnaissance by hand like Sensei taught them to. Karma eyes his ill-gotten phone, knowing even with the screen dark, Ritsu was still monitoring his vitals, because the phone would beep reassuringly every time his heart spiked.

... It was possible. Damn.

He sighed, looking through the little notebook and stubs and whatever else pocket detritus he'd managed to grab. Curse them for not using the bloody year in their dates! And curse the damn 'nurse' for his god awful writing, apparently any medical practitioner, even fake ones, were doomed to the curse. Plus it was all in italian, which, while fluent in the verbal aspect of it, he'd not yet got a hang of its written counterpart before he'd been taken.

Because really, under the latest entry of what he hoped was the latest day was just 'Clam' 'House', 'Cloud', 'Adult', 'Baby','Rainbow', 'Stupid', 'Fix'. Or was that 'heal'? Something about it not being 'Sunny' too, which was stupid because he'd be out there right now instead of languishing in this mouldy smelling dwelling if it weren't blazing like Amaterasu with a grudge.

Either he'd gotten worse with...age? Or the 'nurse' of the shady gilded place was using code.

Karma's lips pressed tight together, restraining the urge to chuck the supremely unhelpful thing across the room. Earlier pages netted him nothing of value either, mostly being halting, innuendo filled rambling of encounters with beautiful women, some, which he was extremely disgusted to see, seemed to fit the bill of barely legal, if at all. And other than that, was just...nonsense about an… 'angry' 'small' 'boom' 'storm'? Ridiculous. He'd done himself more than a favour knocking the man out if his notebook was any hint of the insane pervert's competence.

He needed another approach.

"Ritsu."

His screen flickers to life.

"What can you find on the 'Clam' mansion in Palomero?"

* * *

Sensei did say once, "Take advantage of what you have, while you have it."

Controlling the purple fire is a work in progress,as when he concentrates, he can easily feel it flowing under his skin and bringing it out is the work of a single thought. Karma cups his hands, allowing the Flames to dance in his palms. Already, he'd conducted a few tests, the mosquitoes testament that they still had the same properties as normal fire, burning them to a crisp, but interestingly enough, they also had...other properties. Touching something to them could replicate the object, though not for long. Ritsu had played guinea pig to that particular experiment when he'd elbowed her off the side table and snatched out a hand to grab it, replicating the phone and splitting her consciousness into two. The heavy stare from two of them were...not fun. He'd do more, really, holing up in the room to test out the surprisingly benign (to the user) enhancements, but Ritsu got back to him on that report, and really, what better test was there than a field test?

Ritsu's assertion of _clear experimental conditions _was obviously incorrect and hence unwelcome. Really, this is what they all got for hooking her up to the entire Internet.

His idea was naturally better because after all, Koro-sensei had also said that when you couldn't go one way, find another approach. Give them a taste of their own medicine if need be, but _**don't give up**_.

_He also mentioned something about not taking unnecessary risks, but Karma was an adult now and Sensei was __**dead**__ so he wasn't in any position to judge him._

Ritsu burning a hole through his pocket with the sheer heat generated from vibrating his phone non-stop was, technically, but her own belligerence in not telling him anything had led to this, so really, she was actually an enabler and had no ground to stand on either.

Clinging to the side of the building in makeshift assassination armor, Karma taps the phone twice. Obligingly, Ritsu settles down, but the silence is sullen and Karma dreads the sweetly polite but scathing earful she's no doubt compiling right now as he climbs to the roof.

The best place to look for information was naturally, the source, and what kidnapee willingly returned to the scene of the crime the very same they left? This was fine.

Easily enough, he slips in through a skylight into a wide ballroom. If Ritsu's blueprints were to be believed, the second ballroom...on the third floor. Karma mentally files it away as potentially more evidence of their being rich enough for human trafficking and possible experimentation. Snooping here leaves him with nothing else, shame that they weren't careless enough to leave evidence for him to pick up willy-nilly, but needs must; and begins easing open the ballroom doors just a crack.

Something whooshes behind him and rusty instincts just barely get him out of the way of a grey blur burying itself into concrete beside his head._What-?_

Karma spins around leisurely, bracing himself against the door lazily, looking like he had all the time in the world. His...greeter was the first Japanese person he'd see yet since waking up, though the man looks hardly as enthused to see him. Though, half cloaked in shadows like that, with his coat fluttering in an invisible win, he can't help but give him points for sheer _style._

"_**Trespassers will be bitten to death."**_


	3. Chapter 3

Karma grins at Hibari, brandishing his unusually sharp canines.

"Just try it _**puppy.**__"_

The stylish Japanese boy, and really, he was only a boy, 18 at the most, swings up at his jaw, narrowly missing as Karma slipped back on his heel, letting the metal bar brush past him. Not missing a beat, the kid redirects the strike, the overhead angle giving him momentum to bash down, and_oh _isn't that interesting, spiked ball chains falling from the end of the weapon to join the fray.

Little puppy's Flames spark and chafe against his own like an intense sunburn on his insides and Karma very much does not like it. Still, if the puppy thinks he is going to yield to a little show of force, he's got another thing coming. Karma never got where he was by being a quitter.

Karma takes a couple swings at the puppy himself, muscles bunching in remembrance, his knife clanging against the kid's remaining tonfa.

Where he'd gotten a knife you might ask? Apparently, the motel's staff provided one as long as you could pay and, on closer look, there were multiple badly hidden armories around the little town, which was…something. Ritsu was looking into it.

At any rate, Karma didn't have time for wool-gathering as the puppy came at him, his own vicious grin razor sharp on his pale face.

The clash of metal on metal is exciting, heady almost, of adrenaline and a good opponent racing through his veins. The puppy clips his side a couple of times and Karma retaliates by sweeping his feet out from under him, scoring a line through the ridiculously expensive looking suit. Puppy isn't happy about that.

The next flurry of attacks is merciless, and Karma has to concede, child or not, the puppy is good. If not for his odd animal fixation and preference for flashy moves, Karma would almost be pressed to call it impressive. As it is, the kid's technique ..._ interesting, _but too obviously reliant on brute strength. Not that Karma had much room to talk on that front, but still. Karma had learnt fluidity from a teacher who literally had no bones. There was more than one way to apply and redirect sheer power effectively.

And it is obvious this puppy hasn't learnt that yet, he is light on his feet and his attacks are swift and ruthless, but he is so very _**predictable.**_ The kid thinks in only a certain range of movement, the circle of his arms reach, and only just learning of the effectiveness and attack power of his legs. This child has never been subjected to the 360 degree attacks of an opponent who can move at mach 3 speed and it shows. He is just so...limited. At best, any perceived weakness is preyed upon, the kid not missing a beat so kudos to him for that, but still, not good enough. Karma's grin widens as he danced between blows, golden eyes laughing. He could work with that.

The puppy thinks he's hard to read, which is adorable really, but Karma has worked with people with facial paralysis before ( Itona had to be taught to _smile, _he hasn't seen anyone top that) and the deepening crease between his eyebrows and downturn around his mouth means the guy has gone from excited and irritated to downright _**pissed.**_

On cue, his raven-haired opponent suddenly bursts into purple Flames and Karma files that little tidbit over for later, _internal experimentation? _, propagates his speed and manages to bear down on Karma's left arm with an audible _crack _, making him reel back.

Sensing weakness, the boy aims for his face next, no doubt to wipe away his taunting grin, and oh, the kid probably thinks he is too _**slow**_to block him, one arm down and the other in his pocket- so it is extremely satisfying to see his eyes bug out ever so slightly as _something slams into his gut._

His Flames _**sing **_as the blow carries the audacious little mutt in his way up with the swing, bending him in half over the weapon than Karma had oh so graciously returned to him.

"Maa puppy, didn't you want to play? You have to keep your eye on the _**stick.**_"

The resultant blistering glare was absolutely _delightful _even as everything in the room bursts into Flames.

* * *

Tsuna was having a good day.

Keyword: Was.

Gokudera and he had taken care of the last of the paperwork (aside from charring a couple stacks that had to be redone, yes thank you _Gokudera _), Yamamoto was on some training/bonding/torture trip with Squalo somewhere out of the country and hence, _**not his problem**_, Chrome (wonderful,_wonderful _Chrome) had actually managed to distract Mukuro from one of his and Hibari's habitual fights, meaning only two training rooms were decimated this time (HUZZAH!) as his Mists walked off into the ether. Hibari, also a miracle of miracles, had for once decided _not _to pursue them and give his poor, poor Boss a break (not that he thought any of the impacts on him actually ever made its way into Hibari's thought process, but honestly, Tsuna would take what he could get) by stalking off to some remote area of the Mansion to probably lurk in the dark and scare people.

Okay so maybe he was being a little uncharitable. But he'd been awake for the past week, high off coffee and just so very relieved to not be dealing with another mess. Not to mention that his Hyper Intuition was screaming like crazy and even ensuring that Shoichi, Spanner and Giannini weren't cooking up anything weird. The way Giannini very hastily shoved something broken and sparking under a sheet after seeing him was..concerning, but with his Hyper Intuition being so insistent on something else, he let it be for the time being.

Calling Byakuran and Yuni hadn't solved it either, neither of them being involved in or sensing anything that threatened the world as he knew it (aka, would generate more paperwork) so that was a bust too. At this point he was getting kind of antsy, but praying so hard that nothing would ruin the rest of the day for him. He'd even managed to whip himself up some lunch, taking some time to recline in his armchair in the sitting room that he rarely had time to use.

His Hyper Intuition quietened.

Someone else had solved the problem then. Good.

He relaxed in his chair, alone and at peace for the moment, letting his eyes drift shut.

Which means there was absolutely nothing stopping him from jumping to his feet and bashing his head against the wall as someone comes to report that the entire left wing had exploded.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Gosh, the reviews! I am so glad! Thanks you guys! I'm glad you like the story! :D Also, this is caught up to Ao3, so, the next chap should be incoming pretty soon~**

* * *

In later reports, the official statement is that the Tenth Generation Vongola Cloud was found several miles from Headquarters, returning under his own power to receive medical treatment after clashing with an unknown assailant.

The unofficial statement, passed by word of mouth, most likely by the Tenth Generation Vongola Mist is that a very pissed Neo Vongola Primo followed his Intuition, tracking down his Cloud to give him a good talking to, only to find him sprawled in a ditch in the middle of nowhere with spice tubes stuck up his nose.

Also left off record is how Neo Primo, broke down in tears laughing, which awakened his Guardian who immediately flew into a Rage at the humiliation and delivered a beatdown for the ages, dragging the unconscious Sky back.

**##Later##**

"What really happened Hibari?" Tsuna asks several hours later, wincing as he presses a cold pack to his tender ribs. Hibari, already wrapped up as needed, perches near the open bay-windows, letting the dim light of the fire cast ominous shadows on his pale visage as he surveys the grounds. Still, Tsuna is not blind to the fact that his Cloud is also nursing his ribs by leaning against the wall with one leg stretched out in front of him, the other loosely tucked to his chest, instead of brooding in a crouch.

Hibari is silent a beat too long and Tsuna looks up at him.

His expression is _ferocious, _eyes blazing. No hint of enjoyment at meeting a strong opponent present, only a barely leashed temper _waiting _for a suitable target. Those eyes turn to him now, purple-shaded slate locking with wary orange-tinted orbs.

"A carnivore decided to test his luck." he finally spits out. The reticence makes the hairs on the back of Tsuna's neck stand on end. To acknowledge defeat is not Hibari's style, no matter how he'd mellowed over the years, and for him to label someone a carnivore after just one battle… Hibari's opponent had to not only have trounced him, but _blown him completely out of the water. _

Thinking of the handful of people on that list, Reborn, Fon-san...Tsuna shivered. An Arcobaleno level opponent...Just out of _nowhere _meant nothing good. Plus the fact that the unknown assailant had made it so far into Vongola territory in the first place, meant a certain degree of stealth, only compounded by the fact that high combatants were on a watchlist, and since none of them had checked in...this person had stayed out of Vongola's radar for who knows how long.

Tsuna frowned, turning the idea over in his head. Why now? Why reveal themselves now of all times? The coronation was over and none of his more pressing assignments or alliances with other famiglia would be affected by this. Spooked yes, with warning from the Vongola, but not enough to break it off with one of the most influential famiglia around.

_'A freelancer maybe? Coming out with a bang to get attention? But no, they wouldn't be stupid enough to anger such a big famiglia off the bat.'_

_'A hired hitman was more likely, but still implausible. Again, there was no point in stirring up trouble in Vongola **now **when they were hosting an open ball in less than a month. With so many guests, it'd be a bigger blow to Vongola if the attack had happened then.'_

His Hyper Intuition pinged.

Tsuna focused on Hibari.

"Report, don't leave anything out." said Tsuna, eyes bleeding crystalline orange as the warmth seeped away from his expression. Gone was Tsunayoshi, replaced by the Neo Primo.

Hibari near hissed at the almost order.

Pulling out the state of his opponent out of Hibari after the fight was like pulling teeth. No, it was more like sticking your head into a lion's mouth and pulling its teeth, hoping it wouldn't bite.

A brief battle of wills later, Hibari complied grudgingly, recounting the whole encounter. In the end, Hibari had been down for the count, and even with his opponent swathed in black, Hibari had been almost certain the most the other guy had was a couple of bruises, and at worst, a hairline fracture on his forearm.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed. The attack itself. Hibari, arguably his Strongest Guardian was taken out by a single opponent. Another Cloud no less. Hitmen of that calibre were...almost non-existent in fact. Off the top of his head, Tsuna could only name two, Reborn and Xanxus. Hiring someone like that couldn't have come cheap. So there was no way that this attempt was all for nothing.

Tsuna started pacing, aching ribs forgotten as his eyebrows scrunch together in worry.

_'A single assailant, male, Cloud, powerful. Freelance, hired or part of a famiglia? Not stealth, certainly, no-one sends such a flashy Cloud in for stealth, this was to make a **point.**__'_

_'But **what?'**_

Tsuna didn't have enough data.

_'Why attack Hibari? Why the attack at all? And if he was attempting this with even a modicum of stealth, **did he have a different target?' **_Tsuna's eyes widened.

"This might not have been an isolated event." Tsuna says, turning to Hibari, "Check in with the CEDEF, see if any other places have been hit. I need to call the others."

Hibari grunted, but pushed off the ledge, disappearing out the door. Grumpy yes, but Tsuna knew he would do as he asked. He in turn had to make a few calls of his own.

Gokudera: In the Storm Guardian's study, working on extra paperwork to make up for the earlier mishap. Sweet, and very helpful. (Less paperwork!) Thankfully uninjured and warned to prime himself for a possible attack.

Yamamoto: Enjoying his trip, immediately worried at Tsuna's pinched expression, offered to come home immediately. Squalo screams indignantly in the background. Tsuna refuses, reassuring him, telling him to enjoy himself.

Chrome and Mukuro: Appearing right behind him just as he called them, Kami-sama **_fuck_ **his **_heart_ **, completely well. They'd agreed to stay on the grounds for the time being, but they wanted in on the search party, once it was fine to hunt down the mystery man. Tsuna is warmed by the slightly vicious camaraderie. Then Mukuro lets slip he wants to shake the man's hand, give him a gift or something for getting Hibari's ass handed to him. The warm feeling in Tsuna's chest dissipated.

CEDEF: Hibari made it safely and was terrorizing Basil into bringing him reports for the past 48 hours.

HQ: Orders for everyone to be all hands on deck, check for any abnormalities.

Tsuna lets the icon from his phone fade. He was reassured by his Guardian's safety, but no attempts at them made him antsy. If the target wasn't Tsuna himself or his Guardians...then what was it?

Half an hour later, he had his answer.

Nothing had been stolen, no weaponry, no flame-tech, no information.

But Shamal had apparently just awoken from a bludgeoning at the back of his head in the infirmary, all his mosquitoes burnt to a crisp and his patient, Skull...was **_missing_ **.

'_ Sonuvabitch.'_

The chains holding him down were Flame retardant, so the Cloud couldn't have enhanced himself to set himself free, meaning someone had snuck in, knocked out the medically-inclined Mist and stolen the Strongest Cloud in the World.

Tsuna cursed. For him to have gotten in and out without being detected...A Mist, a skilled one, especially with a dead-weight like an unconscious or struggling hostage like Skull. For no-one to have noticed…

Tsuna's eyes narrowed, sensing a pattern.

A stealthy Mist for a Mist, someone to knock out Shamal and steal the prone Skull.

A stealthy Cloud for a Cloud, someone to beat down Hibari and drag him away.

Only, they hadn't taken Hibari had they? They'd abandoned him halfway and added insult to injury. Hibari wasn't of use to them anymore. Because…

Tsuna's eyes darkened as the pieces snapped into place.

Because their Cloud had won too easily against Hibari, they hadn't needed his Cloud Flames. But Skull was stronger in Flame but twice as weak. Most likely, Skull's capture had been confirmed from whatever base they were working from, and Hibari's opponent had dumped him like yesterday's news.

Someone out there was hunting Clouds. And judging from the way they went about it, they weren't afraid of Vindice attention either.

This...just got a lot more complicated.


	5. Chapter 5

Karma is getting stares.

When you're three days in the running from an entire goddamn mafia alliance, you don't want to be attracting attention. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have much of a choice as he juggles his phone with Ritsu's **heated** judgement trying to burn a hole through his pants.

After he'd covered his tracks thoroughly, getting the hell out of dodge and only narrowly missing a few suited mooks on his way out, Ritsu had guided him to the next hidey hole and proceeded to rip him a new one.

Attempting to shut her up, while only at half capacity with his fatigue and wounds was, in hindsight, a terribly bad idea.

Thus bringing them to this stalemate. Karma couldn't drop her without breaking his phone and most likely drawing even more eyes than he needed, especially when Ritsu was just as likely to follow him around town, agitating people's electronics and getting him kicked out of town...and solely dependent on her.

Karma suppresses a shiver beneath his playful grin, his thoughts taking an unexpectedly dark turn in regards to his former classmate. Coupled with the continued radio silence on her end in contacting any of the others and the fact that she still wouldn't tell him the bloody year...no, he had (slightly) more faith in her than that.

Karma pinches a corner of the device between two fingers, levelling it with his face. People of this town already though he was crazy with all the flailing, might as well roll with it and save his fingers from being singed.

"Look, I don't regret it."

Something zaps his finger and he winces.

"I'm sorry." he tries instead, making sure to keep any trace of annoyance off his face, "I should have listened to you."

The phone buzzes, cooling down slightly. Ritsu is listening.

"I just-" he cuts himself off, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I just _needed _to know more. No assassin should be so blind in any situation. It's...not safe."

Ritsu-phone goes cool, beeping comfortingly and Karma knows he has her.

"So," he says carefully, pocketing the device "I have another idea."

Ritsu's sudden icy silence speaks _**volumes.**_

* * *

**The Intervening Years**

Ritsu is a rational being.

The pinnacle of technological ingenuity with state of the art targeting systems, weaponry and the unprecedented ability to replicate, create and synthesize any substance known to man and then some from any material in the vicinity. Topped off with a fully autonomous, self-sustaining Artificial Intelligence capable of connecting to any device on the planet. Pure, hard data, managed and processed by a being of cold, impartial code.

Ritsu [initial designation: Autonomously-Intelligent Fixed Artillery] was created for the sole purpose of anticipating, adapting and reacting to a chaos level entity capable and willing to ensure global destruction._ In other words, Koro-sensei._

Brief updates by the Teacher himself had allowed it- now _her _to understand and produce emotional responses. What little she had managed to retain after her creators had ripped out the 'superfluous adjustments' later on had developed into a stilted, but warm personality.

They took an android and gave it the ability to _**grow.**_

Ritsu had been built to take every eventuality into account in order to achieve her objective. Her personality had simply made her classmates' safety and happiness a permanent fixture in her targeting software.

So when Akabane Karma, [Politician, High-Profile, Skilled, Ritsu Protection Detail: **Low Priority**] goes missing-

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̂ͣͬ͊H͑ͬo͗ͨ̇͘wͯ͂͑̾ͫ ̅ͪͤd̶̉̿̐ͯaͨ͐ŗ̐̑̀ͩ͛̄̀e̋͊ ̀ͯt̛ͭ̅hͭ͛ͫeͯ̊ͪͫyͦ͛ͤ̌̐҉.̃͛̃

̛ͥ͊

Ḧ́͌̒͆O͑̐ͬ̈́Ẇ ͩ̔̽D̈ͤAREͭ̔ͥ̕ ̌Tͩ̎ͦ̌͐̐H̨EYͫ͆ͤ̌͢.̿͛ͩ

**̷ͦ͊ͨ̃Hͯ̋͂ͭOͥ̊͋̓̾W̐ͣ̅ ̆̀̉̒̏DÅ̐R̿̓̄̅Ê̇̒͜ ̅̆T͒͂̇̾ͬH̎̈́ͬ͑E̿̉̐͘Y͆ͥ̄.̶͊͒ ̔͊̽ͯͮ̾̚Hͭ͛ͯ͒Ŏ͜W̨̎̆͆ͣ͆͆D̊ͦͧͥͨ̈́À̔̋͐͊̋͡RE̡T̎HͮE̴͐ͥͬ̔̔ͦͪŶ̢͛͗̆̅̓͌.ͧ̽ͩͫ**

̆

Wͣ͐ͤ͋͊h́̔ͭOͫ̀̊̏̽̾ ̵̏̓ͮD̾͐ͨa̅͋̓ͭ̈́̚͞R̊́̂̆ͣͯͦ͢ȇ̋ͣ̓̔̄́S̄̔̕ ́̌͂T̡͐ͥͯ͊o-̛ͯ̾̾̈!̧̓ͭͩ̂ͦ͑

Ritsu has **no mercy.**

The first to fall are Karma's political opponents.

As of his disappearance, there were;

Nine political parties.

Three opposing Karma's views.

And seven politicians in his own party jockeying for his position.

**[ENEMIES]**

Shinzo Abe was reinstated as prime minister in 2012. His coming into power _before _Karma vanished and his obvious lack of hostility to the cocky red-head being the only thing keeping him in place, and he _**knew it. **_Unseen hands in the shadows, tugging warnings down his puppet strings.

As a result, Shinzo-san had a good showing, working hard on improving the land of the rising sun by boosting the economy, improving the country's infrastructure and developing plans to enact trade alliances, as the rest of the political parties scrambled like ants from a kicked over anthill, swarming for influence in the great power void of Karma. Them stepping up to the plate in the wake of the loss of a single politician who was, admittedly brilliant, but noticeably petty in their line of work should be considered the logical and proper course of action.

Based on the statistics, Japan was slated for a GDP increase of 6%, beneficial to all its inhabitants. The [Autonomously-Intelligent Fixed Artillery] should have weighed in favor of these odds.

Ritsu, on the other hand, does not **care.**

Ritsu roots out those who had plans against him.

**Every email, every text message, every call log. Every document, every goddamn search result.**

Ritsu roots out their social lives, their transgressions and reveals the rot underneath.

**H̖͖̿̓ͮ̏o̯̼̳̹͋͊̓̓̑w̖̥̣̹ͨͭͥͬ̃ ͙̝̞͕͖̊ͅḋ͇̭͙̔i͔͍͈̱̙ͣ̐ͅͅd̠̙̘͎̣̙̗ͥͤ̀̃ͮ̅͠ h̳̤̭̎̐ͅe̒̐̑̒̊̿ ̰͆͝g͎̯̖̝̭͙͕̑o͈͉͊ͨ̈́ͫ̚ ̣ m̪̞̅̀i̮̦͓͚͈̪̦̎̑ͮ̽͂͒s̸̪̀s̨̱̞̲̘̉ͩ͆i̖͍n̪̳ͣg̡̖͎̗͈̖̓.͔̫͆̌ͣ̑ͪ̆ ?**

She finds evidence amongst the wreckage, of due hurts planned for her friend and she rips each and every one involved to **shreds.**

**But they do not lead her to Karma.**

**W̰̻͓͔̙h͔a̭̭̱̝͈ț̹̩̭ n͔̥̞̮̪e͈̥̜̲̬̰x̜̝t͕̦?̣̺̪̭͚̼̙**

The class spreads out their own influence, like ink in still water, vipers released into long grass and she tabs them, connecting them in their own intranet, facilitating the flow of information.

Some hints, whispers of him.

Red hair, male. England. 42. [No]

Abnormal strength. Highly intelligent. America. [No.]

Arrogant. Hyper-intelligent. [6472013 Results] [No.]

[No.]

_[No.]_

**[No.]**

**[̰̝̩̰͂̽͘N̅ͥͭO͕̘͚̙̲̼̬͐͢.̡̟̹̻͎̔̋̄]̺ͬ̀ͩ**

**So many false trails. Dead ends.**

The clock is ticking, survival waning as every day passes. The investigation drags on.

Time is a human concept, but one that Ritsu, emotional now that she is, cannot help but pay attention to.

Ritsu is an emotional being.

The [Autonomously-Intelligent Fixed Artillery] is not.

Ice creeps into her heart.

**[Objective: Karma Akabane]**

Eventually, the country officially labels it a cold case, drops the investigation like a hot potato and moves on to other matters. The announcement barely blips on her radar, aside from an official mention through the intranet to the others, to share a moment of outrage. But otherwise, the search continues as usual.

Because they are killers at heart.

**And no one has found Karma's body.**

* * *

**Present**

**[Objective: Karma Akabane Status: Retrieved]**

Karma shows up out of the blue looking tired and ridiculous and as cocky as every and not for the first time, Ritsu wishes she has a human form so she can just strangle him, even as the ring of ice around her heart melts away. Arrogant, odd, powerful Karma. She settles him in for the time being, bowing to his whims before they set off for safer waters. Weakened, odd, Karma. She will need to grill him later on, on his abduction in order to update her protection detail. No need for a repeat of the situation. No more missing friends. Not in the state they are in.

Still, she has been cold-logic for ȩ̸̯̭̲̭̲͇̙̲̀͂̇͌ͣͣͭ̅ͩ̋ͦͧ́̏ͪ̚͡͡ͅu̶̶̟̩͉͔͔̭̜̝͓ͤ̂̾ͧͥͤ̊ͥ̎͛̆̐ͭ́f̡̏ͪͣ͆̍̓͗̉ͧ͏̭̹̺͕̱̲͔͝b̴̨̧̳̦̝̟͖̩̺̠̝̝̲̟͇̓̈̒̒͛͂̄ͭͩͭͥͩ̒ͥ̓ͭ̚͜4̶̼̼̻̝̥̗͈̫̗͍͉͓̌̌ͣ̄̽ͤ͠͝i̺̯̻̜̞̬̺̼͈̯̳͕͖̪̝͙͍͙ͮ͂̍̈͞͡g̷̛͚̙̝̳͉̼̟͈͋̃̈̓̅̌ͦ̊̚͜ḅ̷̸̷͇͖͔̳͇͚͓̆̅̅ͮͦͤ̾ͪ̓̅͠ȳ̵̨̛̗̥͙͎̯̺̥̜̬͔ͬ̒͐̌̔͜͠ ̵̵̧̖̘̥̯̼̘̟͎̖̜͕͕̱̠̹̂̋̋̽̿̓͐e̢̡̛̫̙͔͍̺̺̙̩͇̠̥̲̮͋̓̿̇̋ͣͫ̃̂̚̕͟ ̵̯̞͍̥͈̞̫̣̝̂̓͛ͮ̎̎ͭ̓ͥ̃̉ͫͣ̈ͦ̕͡͠ḁ̢̞͓̖̱̹̺̗ͩͯ͒̓̐͗̒̾̍̓͛ͣ̊̌ͧ̾̕ ̶̧̢̣̱̝͎͓̰̠̲̳͑̏͌̄̇́̄͛ͧ̌͊̄̔ͤͩ͘͡r͗ͣ̈̌ͨ̅ͥ̓̍̈́̓ͣͥ҉̛̠̬̙͙̦̤͓̬̭̰̱͘ ̶̸̸̪̭̻̜̤̳̪̩̖͕̥͈̝͍̞͖ͦͧͯ͗̉̋ͤ̈́ͦ̆̾͑́̍͠͡sͫ̑̉҉̴̪͔̜̗̩͟͡ and the analysis she runs on his shaking, high-temperature body is concerning.

He curls up in the ratty bed, without complaint, dropping off immediately with a muttered thanks and a death grip on his phone with her on it, as if she'd ever _leave_ and Ritsu's hackles rise.

**[Objective: Karma Akabane Status: Pending]**

The following days are hardly and better, him frustrated and t̮̮̫͟e̞̯̦̻̠̱͜r̷̼̭̪̲̼̩̖r͕͇̜͡i̟͓̪̘̠f̟̦̭͓̦̣i͉͙̟̼͍͖e̱͖̙̦̰ḓ̦̬̠̺ and non-comprehending, even as he smiles and jokes and teases. Ritsu plays along, because she needs him to be safe with her, now of all times, when she finally, _finally _has him back. But it niggles in her mind, the problems he faces, the memory problems, the incredibly drastic time loss. And worse yet, is the issue of potential tampering, even as he shares his suspicions of human experimentation.

Because if his captors had been willing to go so far...His claims of returning memories would likely turn to lies. Because otherwise, **why-**

Why had he not commented on her state of dress?

Ritsu worries because-

Far from the pastels and bunny ears everyone had gotten used to seeing as they grew up-

She is wearing her school uniform.

**And Karma says nothing.**

**Wḩ͉̠̦̺̯a̩̬̮̦͉t͚̥̘ ̪̗̭̱̲ͅi͉̞͕̳ͅs̛̹͇̘͔̟̲ ̨͉̳͕ͅw͈ro̰̤̙n̺g̥͝ ͍̻͇̳̮͎̱͟w̙͉͔i̸̯̗̝͓t̤̯̩̺ẖ̰̙̯͕͘ ҉̗̱y̳͍o̲̩̞̹̥u̵̗?͉̗̘͇**

**̢͓̩̥**

**W͓̫͎̟̖̗̞̎̀͛̊h̿̆ͦ͌ͮ̄̈a͇̫̘͌t̪̲̗̣̳̼̃͒́̓ͦ̓̚ ̰̥͔̣̋̋̆̄ͯ̚ ̱̥̮͙͍͂ͧḌi̜̱ͦͩd̯̭͐͗ͣ ͆̓ ̺̺̣͊Ť̥̺̫̭͉͇͙̍̄̔ͬh̗̭̃̔̑ͣe̻̩̋̑̆y̖̺̱̝̠̲̪̓ͧ̓ͮ̽ ̲͇ͧ̊̌̀̂ͯ̎ ̖͍̜Ď̹̤̉ͤ̀ͪͤo͈͚ͪ̈́ͪ̉ ̼̾̍̓̉ ̼͈͐ͧ́ͦT̗̜̥̭͒̈́ȍ̗̯͎̣̱ ̆ͧͩ̈́ͫ́̿ ̟͗͗͐͂ͬ̉͊Y̪͇̯͕̜͓͈ͧ̌̾͐̍͗͗o͎͉̘̖̾ü̞̫̝̩̂͋ͭ̎ ̤͇ͩ̉̔̑̋̾ͅ.̩̺̤̣̩̤̋̍ͧͅ ̟̜̲̜͙̮̍.̼͚̳͔͙̈ ̫̥̦̳̃̓͆ͦ̐̇̚.͓̾͑ͦͪ͊̉̋ ͚̯̰̦͇͕͐̀?̞͍̝̪͇ͬ̂̒ͦ̍**

**̤̟̥̯͙̦**

* * *

Notes:

It is messy as heck, I am so sorry.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: ...Did...Did y'all miss me? Ahahaha. I wanna say, I'm very grateful to everyone who read, favourited and commented. It gave me the confidence to continue this. So thanks everyone! Hope you like the chapter! 3

Pulsing. Soft, rhythmic pulsing.

The darkness fuzzes at the edges, grey and static.

The pulsing clarifies into repetitive beats, into clear beeping by his ear.

His eyes open.

Morning light streams through the day-curtains, weak and indistinct. Beyond them lie distinctive French windows, shut tight to prevent chill, distorting the scenery of the Eiffel tower looming in the distance.

Karma sits up, sheets pooling around his waist. Already, his drowsiness is fading, purple Flames racing through his veins without his input, stimulating his body into wakefulness. The soreness in his muscles is a thing of long yesterday, fading with each ebb and flow of the odd power.

He flexes his fingers.

The power throbs back, Flames seeming to stretch and inflate within him, making him feel tight and too big for his skin. Bursting to be released.

[Karma?] Ritsu says softly from the bedside and he turns to look at her.

It is a wholly unnerving sensation and Karma hates how off guard he feels every time he becomes conscious of it. Let alone how the more his flame production seems to be, he is quickly running out of ways to increase his output and the flames seem to have a mind of their own.

The first instance, he'd been monumentally stupid, allowing him to fall into a false sense of security with his first taste of the power, and he'd been careless, blasting it out raw from his palms-

He'd shredded them to **bits.**

The scream that ripped out of him had been instinctive, pure animalistic pain, before he tamped down on it hard, biting it back behind grinding teeth. Ritsu is frantic, as close to shouting as she ever can be, trying to keep him conscious even as he dazedly tracks black flakes and charred dark-reddish lumps that hand been part of his hands not two minutes ago as they slough off his bones. Ritsu is still near chanting remedies into his ear and there is no one for miles around, as he shakily gets to his feet.

The distance he'd put between them and the nearest town for the sake of avoiding attention and 'collateral damage' yawns before him, like a chasm. Not for the first time, he wonders on the sheer point of him coming back to all this shit.

Then, miracle of miracles, his flesh begins to knit back.

Karma's mind blanks, staring at how the dead, burnt flesh crackles and peels off, revealing new, unbroken skin underneath. Tines of bone suddenly stab out of the stumps of meat at the ends of his forearms, spurred on by the purple flames that had only just maimed him beyond belief, forming his phalanges, before tendons creep up, enveloping the exposed bone. Layer after layer, subcutaneous fat, skin, the works, coat his building impossibility and before long, Karma is staring at a set of brand new hands.

And still , devious as he is, Karma couldn't pass up the opportunity to quip on how Okuda may have made something of this, once upon a time, may still have use of it, if her morals in tampering with chemicals when it came to her classmates sake were still as fast and loose as ever. Bottle it up, liquefy it, instant-poison!

Ritsu's silence on the matter even as she chivvies him back to the motel is so incredibly revealing, Karma couldn't hide it from himself anymore even if he'd stuck his head into the ground. He just wished she would tell him straight.

So ruffled by failure, emboldened by rage and spurred on by his hatred of confusion and the damnable flames still racing beneath his skin, he slams his phone into a drawer, locking it in and ignoring the loud buzzing soon after.

Ritsu tries, she does, and if he had any doubts on to her motivation, her persistence and success in obtaining increasingly comfortable and lavish accommodations, even while remaining as calm and unaffected as she always is in the face of his cold shoulder, then they have been appeased. Still, he isn't going to be making this easy on her.

_He sometimes wonders what would happen if he were to pass his invisible threshold, to let himself build up and just- release. It is a terrible thought. But as the days drag by, one that becomes more and more tempting._

His experiments seem to help, practicing and molding it to apply to various uses is helpful indeed. So versatile is the...energy that he has found a great many uses for them and they help assuage not only the growing urge but the sheer boredom that plagues his mind.

Ritsu too had learnt to distract herself, though she remained within reach. He'd woken once to see her scrolling through multiple tabs at speeds too fast for him to catch more than a few words, displaying them on his phone, the hotel desktop and even the television. [Amnesia] [Memory Loss] [Kidnapping] [Recovery]. She'd shut them off as soon as she noticed him looking. Prodding hadn't helped, she'd been mum and refused to tell him anything. Fine. He'd deal with it himself.

Thus leading to their current stalemate.

The television switches on.

[Karma-kun.]

He rolls over, back facing her.

[Karma-kun please, this isn't healthy.]

He ignores her. He's gotten good at poking at her limits. Ritsu will help him do just about anything beside you know, getting back to Japan or contacting anyone he knows and loves or telling him what the heck she's researching while he sleeps.

[Karma-]

He gropes for the TV remote on the bedside table, switching it off. He doesn't need this. He'll leave, she how she likes being kept in the dark.

There is blessed silence for a second. Karma hopes Ritsu has given up for the day.

Then the lights begin flashing on and off, plunging the room into light and dark like some fancy disco. It's disorientating. Worse is the wailing siren that begins to go off.

[Akabane Karma, you will listen to me **NOW.**] She says, barely above the din.

"Ritsu, what the actual fuck?!" He hisses, shielding his eyes.

[There are better things to do than just laying around here! Getting out there, figuring out what happened to you-]

"Getting home?" He cut in, rubbing at his sore eyes.

[...if need be, then yes.] She admitted reluctantly. Karma's fingers twitched. He hadn't expected to agree.

[Just so long as you stop this...moping of yours!] She finished.

Karma took a moment to marvel at her. Ritsu had been more emotive thanks to Koro-sensei, but it had been a shallow sort of appreciation like a cardboard cutout soaked in juice pretending to be a real apple. Here, she was genuinely worried, frustrated even at his...everything. It was heartening. And also, damning proof.

"Fine." He slung his legs out of bed, wincing as the waistband pooled around his hips. He'd...been in a bad way. And to be fair, the Flame thing was taking a lot more energy than he'd given it credit for. He STILL wasn't used to how much he needed to eat to compensate for it.

"But Ritsu?"

[Yes?] She sounded much more hopeful than before.

"When we're done...I want you to take me to the class."

[Karma…]

"I'm not stupid Ritsu." He snagged his phone, thumbing open the browser. The movie ad was still static at the bottom of the screen. 'Sonic Ninja: The Next Journey'. A small child holding the tattered remains of the protagonist's suit stares into the abyss. The ninja hadn't even been _half-way_ through his adventure the last he watched with Nagisa. He sighs heavily. It almost sounds like a sob. But when Karma looks at Ritsu's image flickering back onto his screen, his eyes are glittering,hard as diamonds.

"Just- Tell me the plan. Then when we're done, take me to them."

[...Alright.]


	7. Chapter 7

The Reckoning started one evening in the _not at all_ shady back rooms of Okuda and Takebayashi's research institution.

That a privately funded institution has back rooms at all, which are not open to the public and not necessarily known to anyone besides the owners and the builders is neither here nor there of course.

Just a regular evening on most Fridays and Saturdays when they all gathered together to reminisce, catch up and eventually, black out from too much sake, laughter and good company. The whole of Class-E, when time permitted, were more than happy to be together in a natural environment where it was…safe, to let loose their less publicly acceptable bloodthirsty behavior.

Most nights were kind of a mess, though they _were_ responsible, in deference for Koro-sensei's ghost, a shrine of who, had been set up and religiously cleaned in the corner of the room. It had been a joke at first, but, well…it felt right to have him there with them. The wildest nights of course, were when they managed to pry Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei from their jobs to come mingle with the kids.

Karasuma-sensei was straight laced as they came, but one didn't marry and be with someone like Bitch-sensei for so long without picking up a few kinks. Get the man deep in his cups enough and he'd even forget the bunch of adults around him were what used to be his students and he'd even tell them about it, to mixed responses. There were some things you never wanted to hear about the people you looked up too, though it was pretty funny to see Bitch-sensei get flustered as well and try to shut him up.

Hangovers aside, it was fun to sit around a table with the kind of people who could make or break entire industries, but who mostly preferred to crack stupid jokes and dig up embarrassing memories.

There had been a hitch when- well. It didn't taint previous nights together, but it did add an edge to their meetings thereafter. Still, Karma would riot, if they stopped causing chaos on _his _account.

It was on one of the nights he wasn't there _(yet another night, yet another week, another-)_, a night when they all had drunk too much and ties and social conventions hadn't so much been loosened as completely thrown out the window. Nagisa nursed a thin saucer of sake and tilted his head back, in just the right frame of mind to contemplate the grand secrets of the universe. Or maybe he was nodding off. It was hard to tell once his poker-face had come in.

"Na, Kayano." He called softly, to the girl turned woman slumped beside him.

Kayano tilted her head in his direction, listening, eyes still trained on the hilarious brawl between Sugino and Maehara as they attempted to play keep away with the second to last jar of _good _sake but failing miserably as their heads bobbed sleepily. Rio was filming for posterity as always, but there were a few more clothes coming off than anyone should be comfortable with, so someone would probably put a stop to it before it went to far. Probably. It was almost sad to be honest. Sides, everyone knew it would end up in Kanzaki's hands at some point, whether the beauty wanted it or not.

"Ritsu's been a bit quiet tonight. Any news?"

"Curious about her absences too?" Her smile was lazy, but the flicker of concern in her eyes way anything but. "She's been a bit slow in responding to everyone lately. Hasn't spoken about it much yet aside from saying she's a bit busy."

Nagisa considered it, reclining against the sturdy laboratory table. Ritsu did have her own life, what with surfing the internet and constantly upgrading herself, but the bubbly AI had always been ever-present and ever-willing to help out. She rarely asked for time to herself and to not be disturbed as she downloaded a large upgrade of some sort, but those times were rare and in between now, especially after so long. Ritsu wasn't just a programme or an AI anymore. Ritsu _was _the Internet.

In any case, if she _had _been preparing to go through another major upgrade, she would usually have told them in advance, especially after the last…Incident.

_(There was that one week where she'd gone and turned herself into a fursona and they hadn't been there to correct her, which everyone had agreed was a mistake and had a standing pack that they needed to at least vet whatever she thought to download and that they. Would. Not. Speak. Of. It. Ever. Again.)_

"It isn't like her." He agreed softly, flicking open his phone.

The usual loading signal for 'Ritsu's Happy Happy Help!' App was still at 12% as usual, the tiny chibified motif of Ritsu's head spinning in place lazily.

There was a bit of a blur for a bit as the night dragged on.

Terasaka had somehow convinced Itona to do body-shots, to limited success as the white-haired boy preferred to dump them over the other man's head instead. Rio had managed to separate and drag off Sugino and Maehara some time ago, which someone should check out, considering the odd noises from their last scene direction and Fuwa's insistence in following them despite her wobbly gait, claiming she needed her 'doujin research!' complete with creepy giggling.

"Okay- _Urp_\- Okay, I think tha's enough for me." Terasaka said, squinting almost angrily at the room at large. "I- I uh, _shit_, I gotta go home..?" He trailed off almost confusedly, pulling his phone out of his pocket, before almost immediately shoving it back in when it nearly slipped from his fingers.

"Gotta-_gotta_ go back. C'mon you guys." He mumbled, hauling the rest of his motely crew up, biceps flexing. "These lightweights ain't gonna last much longer either."

The four of them managed a sort of four man stumble out the door, with a chorus of alcohol-soaked goodbyes paving the way.

That seemed to be the catalyst as bit by bit, the class broke off to head home or to the medical beds set up in the suspiciously large med-bay.

Nagisa decided to lie there a bit longer. Kayano had slumped over and spilled herself into his lap and he wasn't in any condition to risk her hangover induced wrath anytime soon. He burped, the rude sound echoing in the nearly empty room, drawing a few sleepy chuckles.

His phone beeped.

Nagisa drew the device to his face, blue light washing over tired features.

' Ritsu's Happy Happy Help!' had reached a hundred percent, the chibi face winking out at him before displaying the full-portrait of his friend. Ritsu looked-

"Nagisa-kun." She says softly, ever young visage both troubled and delighted at once. "I found Karma-kun."


End file.
